So where is the Kingdom?

The Kingdom Part 2
“So where is the Kingdom?”
Col. 1:13-14    
    In the previous article, we discussed how scripture shows that the kingdom is already here, and Jesus is reigning over it (John 18:36; Col. 1:13-14; Rev. 1:6; 5:10 & 13; Heb. 8:1-2). So, if the Lord’s kingdom is already on the earth, where is it? Well, a hint comes from some of the scripture previous provided. In Col. 1:13, Paul says, “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col. 1:13 NASB emp. added).  So the logical question is, who is “us.” In Col. 1:2 Paul address the letter, “To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae.” So, us is the faithful christians who made up the church in Colossae. This completely makes sense when one reads Matt. 16:13-19, where Jesus said He will build His church. In verse 18 Jesus makes the statement “… I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” Directly following that statement He continues to tell Peter, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 16:18-19). Many people want to change topics for verse 19 and say that Jesus was talking about heaven, but there is no evidence to this. We assume because we see the word “heaven,” that Jesus must be talking about the afterlife. Reading verses 18 & 19, it is clear that Jesus is using the terms “church” and “kingdom of heaven” synonymously. Again, when considering what happened in Acts 2, this statement makes logical sense. Peter was given the “keys of the kingdom of heaven” and he used those keys to unlock the entrance into the kingdom when He preached the first Gospel sermon in Acts 2:14-36. We know the end result of that sermon was 3,000 souls being baptized and “added” (Acts 2:41). In Acts 2:47, scripture tells us that “the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.” The KJV and NKJV would say that “the Lord was adding to the church.” This is perfectly synchronized with what Col. 1:13 says about the Lord “transferring us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.” So, the kingdom is already on earth, but it is a spiritual kingdom of the Lord, His church. I love you all.

In His service,
Steven Hugley